Untill next time...

Waddle on!

Bioe

by Bonnie Alter, London on 08.21.08

David Suzuki says "I think bottled water is toast." And London, Ontario City Council agrees. The government of this city of 450,000 has voted to stop selling bottled water in all municipal buildings. The vote was 15 to 3, a healthy majority. It was won despite the opposition of the bottled-water industry which came up with two alternate proposals in an attempt to stave off the decision. The ban will extend to city hall, city-owned buildings, hockey arenas and community centres. Now the city will ensure that fountains are installed where ever the water is prohibited.

The drinking water in the area is very safe and healthy. The move was also prompted by the fact that 20 million plastic bottles were ending up on the local landfill each year and clogging it up. The City realized that they were picking up greater and greater volumes of recycling, and it was taking them longer to do it. The cause was the increase in plastic water bottles. They were concerned by the amount of energy it takes to transport the bottles, as well as the waste produced by them. London sets a good precedent; the local school board is now considering doing the same. Other cities such as Windsor, Vancouver, Kitchener and Toronto are too. As Suzuki says: "I hope it leads to the position that SUVs are acquiring in society, where you look at anyone who hauls out a bottle of water and say, 'What the hell's wrong with you? " :: Globe & Mail

More on Bottled Water
:: A World of Reasons to Ditch Bottled Water
:: Tap or Bottled Water
:: City of Seattle Gives Bottles the Boot

Councillors talking about stopping sales on municipal land

Posted By COREY LAROCQUE REVIEW STAFF WRITER

Posted 8 hours ago

When Frank Fohr noticed students drinking bottled water at a Niagara Falls tree-planting event in April, it bothered him that city employees were supplying the plastic containers at an environmental event.

"Yes, the material can be recycled. But there's the energy put into (making) the bottle, the energy put into transporting it, and the energy into recycling it," said Fohr, a retired teacher and environmentalist.

As has happened in other Ontario cities recently, politicians in Niagara Falls -a city whose name is synonymous with water -are slated to consider a ban on the sale of bottled war at municipal facilities, including city hall, arenas, Oakes Park and the MacBain Community Centre.

"Better to have a refillable bottle and fill it with tap water than to have bottled water," Fohr said.

Fohr is a member of the Park in the City committee which recently endorsed the idea of banning bottled water and of encouraging what's being called a "voluntary ban" on plastic bags at stores.

Last week, politicians in London made headlines by enacting a ban on the sale of bottled water at city-owned facilities. The Forest City will also not be allowed to purchase water for staff use at city hall or in its other buildings.

Since then, city of Toronto officials voted to investigate a similar policy. In St. Catharines, Mayor Brian McMullan said he will ask his council to consider adopting a policy like London's, though the Garden City has already eliminated bottled water at city hall.

The popularity of bottled water took off about 20 years ago as regular water consumption became part of healthy diets and there were some concerns about the quality of municipal tap water.

But the bottles themselves have fallen out of favour because of the resources used to make and ship them, the long-term effect they have when they're not recycled and end up in landfills, and assurances from public officials that the municipal supply that people already fund through their taxes is much cheaper and just as safe.

Park in the City is an advisory committee, so its recommendation needs city council approval. Staff in the city's parks department are working on two reports expected to be discussed at future council meetings, probably in late September.

Coun. Victor Pietrangelo said he expects the reports to push Niagara Falls in the direction other cities are going.

"I think there has to be a first step. This is basically going to be our first step. We'll see where we take it from there," said Pietrangelo, co-chairman of the Park in the City committee.

He added there have been legal challenges when municipalities in the United States have tried to ban bottled water.

"I don't think you can ban the use of plastic bottles in the sense you can stop people from using plastic bottles," Pietrangelo said. Consumers would still buy them in stores and bring them to city-owned facilities.

And city workers might still bring them from home. But a city-led drive to eliminate their availability would set an example, he said.

At public facilities like arenas, the MacBain Community Centre and Oakes Park, private companies manage the concessions under contract with the city.

If the city wanted to ban the sale of bottled water, it would have to work with those vendors, Pietrangelo said. A bottled-water ban could force the city to install more drinking fountains, both indoors and outdoors at parks, he added.

A straw poll of councillors suggests there's interest in the proposal.

"I am in favour of it as well, for many reasons," said Coun. Jim Diodati, citing the fact spring water is not regulated and municipal tap water is usually "superior," and garbage dumps are "overflowing" with plastic.

Park in the City co-chairwoman Coun. Janice Wing considered the impact the demand for plastic has on the economy.

"After all, plastic bottles are made from oil -that same resource we depend on to fuel the vast majority of our vehicles. We have a vested interest in keeping demand for oil as low as possible, to help keep the price down," Wing said, noting high gasoline prices have been one of the factors hurting Niagara's tourism industry.

Mayor Ted Salci said he hasn't sensed a groundswell of pressure to ban bottled water, but added it will be up to council to decide.

"I haven't heard a particular feeling to try to eliminate it," he said.

The amount of bottled water Niagara Falls uses is a drop in the bucket compared to Canada's overall consumption.

"Our purchase of bottled water would be negligible," he said.

At city hall, there are water coolers in each department, installed years ago after it encountered discoloured water caused by an iron buildup in water mains, a situation many downtown properties faced.

City staff also purchase bottled water to serve to people who come to city hall for meetings. That's the kind of practice London's new policy would eliminate.

In Niagara Falls, the bottled water issue has now become linked with a proposal to ban the plastic bags stores give to customers at the cash register.

Parks staff are also working on a report encouraging what Pietrangelo called "a voluntary ban" on the use of plastic bags in stores. That issue actually surfaced before the bottled water issue.

"That's probably the biggest (change). The city is going to be looking at an education campaign on the importance of not continually using plastic bags because of what they do to the environment and in our landfills," Pietrangelo said.

The Mayor's Youth Advisory Committee recommended in April council enact a ban on plastic bags.

"This may seem crazy and not possible, but it is" possible, youth committee member Christopher Clarkstone said at an April council meeting.

"If you think it is impossible, it is not," he said, listing a number of cities around the world that have enacted plastic-bag bans.

Across Ontario, LCBO stores recently stopped giving plastic bags to customers when they buy alcohol. Many stores, including Canadian Tire and Wal-Mart, sell canvas or cloth bags in their stores and encourage shoppers to buy them and reuse them.

Rather than try to ban the use of plastic bags, Pietrangelo suggested the city could encourage stores to use alternatives. City staff are working with Niagara Square on a pilot program that would see the shopping centre's stores encourage customers to use alternatives to plastic, Pietrangelo said.

OK, not the last one. Yet.

Now, Delhi police are considering a ban on playing music in cars because, well, music distracts and causes accidents. And, as always, there are some loosely worded laws to back the ban masters. Apparently, Section 102 of the Delhi Motor Vehicle rule says traffic police can regulate the use of audio visual devices in vehicles by issuing notices (emphasis added).

But does only music take people's eyes off the road leading to mishaps? Of course, not. So, in the spirit of public service, churumuri.com is pleased to offer suggestions for a ban on some of these other detrimental but lesser known in-car on-the-move personal activities that endangers public safety.

1) Ban nose picking, ear-picking or beard-stroking

2) Ban eating, drinking, chewing or smoking

3) Ban glancing at or talking to co-passengers of either sex

4) Ban eye, lip or body contact with co-passengers of opposite sex

5) Ban the windows on the left and right

6) Ban driving with the 'wrong' hand on the steering wheel

7) Ban driving in chappals and sandals

8) Ban automakers from leaving slots for music systems

9) Ban watching hoardings and other roadside signs

10) Ban gawking at good-looking men and women

I'm writing an original song about how much I love Georgia so hopefully that will make up for the loss.  Is anyone sensing a little irony here?

Two words. HA HA!

The comic Murderdrome, was created by Infuriouscomics specially for the iPhone. Apple has turned down their application to put the book in the App Store because it finds it offensive in its 'reasonable opinion'. What the .... ?

What about the movies available on the App Store that belong to the horror or slasher category? In fact why should the App Store have movies of this genre at all? Horror/slasher movies always seem to offend someone. For instance the movie Apocalypto is full of blood and gore but its still on the App Store? So why these double standards Apple?

Looks like Apple has constituted a censor board of sorts that is responsible for the release of movies on App Store. And this censor board is doing a very lousy job. There are a whole bunch of R-rated movies available for download. So why ban this comic book?

I am not a big fan of violent movies or comics but I am against this kind of policing. After all I should have the independence of watching anything that I like that can be acquired through legal means. Apple does not seem to subscribe to this view. Its policy of inspecting applications for malicious code is still understandable, but movie sensorship????????????????? Naaah. Utterly distasteful.

What's next? Banning Frank Zappa's marvelous songs because of indecent language that Apple finds offensive in its 'reasonable opinion'?

The Advertising Standards Authority received complaints from two local reviewers who contended Apple's claim in the commercial that the iPhone had all the parts of the internet in it. The complaint said that since the iPhone does not support Flash or Java it cannot claim to be offering a complete internet functionality.

Apple responded saying it was not claiming complete internet functionality but rather internet site availability. ASA however decided to ban the ad since it was misleading and did not explain the limitations.

What were they thinking? Scrutinizing each and every word in an advertisement and holding the advertiser responsible looks like an attempt at squelching the creative freedom of advertisements. Ads are marketing tools. They are supposed to generate interest. If someone wants to buy an item after seeing an ad its really up to that person to verify that the item fulfills all her/his needs. How can someone believe each and every word in an advertisement? This brings to mind a commercial for a motorcycle that had the punch line "Feel like God". So do we ban that advertisement since nobody can determine how God feels? Ridiculous.

Murderdrome is not Ulysses, Lolita or Lady Chatterley’s Lover. It’s a dark, bloody comic strip marked by the type of over-the-top violence that has made its genre so popular among young readers with a lot of pent-up rage.

But Murderdrome has now joined the pantheon of suppressed fiction as the first digital book banished from Apple’s App Store by censors in Cupertino.

News that the work had been rejected by Apple was spread Tuesday evening by its publisher, Infurious Comics, which posted the entire first episode for free, along with a plea for support.

“PLEASE leave a comment,” wrote the strip’s creator, Paul Jason Holden. “We’ll forward ALL of these to Apple, so that we can ensure that not only Murderdrome, but that ANY comic submitted to Apple doesn’t fall foul of the same censorship.” (link)

By Wednesday morning, the post had drawn dozens of responses — all sharply critical of Apple — and PJ Holden’s cause had been picked up by half-dozen sympathetic bloggers (seeTechmeme).

Murderdrome’s most energetic defense was posted by blogger Mike Cane, who rattled off (with live links) several equally violent works of fiction published without fuss or warning on the iTunes store, including South Park, Reservoir Dogs and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Strictly speaking, what Apple banned was not a book but an application — called Comic Reader — designed to make it easy for comic book authors to publish their work on iPhones and iPod touches. But Murderdrome was the premier title, included with the app when it was submitted for Apple’s approval. It was rejected on the basis of a paragraph in the iPhone 2.0 Software Development Kit that reads:

Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.

The language gives the company a lot of latitude — more than it probably wants. Rather than take on the role of Internet censor, and risk alienating some of its most enthusiastic and vocal fans, Apple (AAPL) might be wise to do what Infurious suggests: institute an e-book rating system like the one already in place on the iTunes Store for movies, video games and rock lyrics.

Meanwhile, Infurious has moved on. “Right now,” PJ Holden told TechRadar, “the plan is to hold Murderdrome and concentrate on our other titles, which will be more Apple friendly.”

And what about Murderdrome? “We’re more than happy to resubmit under any ratings system that Apple suggests.”

Is Apple in the right, or are they in the wrong? Leave a comment

I stumbled upon reading an article found on the Toronto Star about a popular ridesharing service called "PickUpPal". The article states that a bus company called Trentway-Wagar (aka Coach Canada) did a private insider audit on PickUpPal. The information that Trentway-Wagar had collected was submitted to the Ontario Highway Transportation Board. Now, Trentway has asked the province that PickUpPal should be banned to operate in this province. It's not the first time this had happened. A Quebec based service called "Allo Stop" was completely sacked from operating in the province.

As for PickUpPal, it had violated many sections of the Public Vehicles Act, which governs any company where money is exchanged for a public transportation service. PickUpPal is a very popular service. It was used during this year's Vans Warped Tour and it is anticipated that it will be the prime solution for the upcoming Virgin Festival held in Toronto's Centre Island on September 6th and 7th.

In "retaliation", the PickUpPal organizers decided to launch a petition against the foreclosure of the organization from operating in the province. You can view the petition here. The coverage was well publicized.

References:

"Bus company tries to shutter web-based ride service." Arts Technica. 22 August 2008. 27 August 2008. <http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080822-bus-company-tries-to-shutter-web-based-ride-share-service.html>

"Trentway-Wagar goes after PickupPal." p2pnet news. 21 August 2008. 27 August 2008. <http://www.p2pnet.net/story/16805>

"Online Company Under Fire For Offering Carpooling Service." Citynews.ca. 21 August 2008. 27 August 2008. <http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_26025.aspx>

"Bus firm calls online car pool illegal service." Toronto Star. 21 August 2008. 27 August 2008. <http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/482653>

During one accident, an elderly woman crashed through trand doors and onto a Metro track after boarding a train at South Tyneside late last year. Also earlier this year in April, a man fell from his vehicle prompting a track. Operator Nexus basically became fed up and said that it was extending the ban and all users could not used the Metro from Wednesday.

Nexus said that the scooters were too dangerous; however, the rule will be reviewed in six months. Manual and powered wheelchairs are not included in this ban.

Like many of the world's underlying issues, excessive waste production can be managed through simple attitude changes. The month long trial, being held at Safeway, Coles and IGA stores in parts of Victoria's north-east and south-west is a great way to get the ball rolling.

Of course for most families, charging 10 cents per shopping bag is not going to have them taking out a second mortgage. Michael Wickham, of Hallam, told the The Herald Sun  that 10 cents was not enough of a deterrent. Nonetheless, it may subconsciously cause individuals to question how their everyday actions affect the environment.

For others though, 10 cents will definitely be enough to sway them. Mother-of-two Karen Barrie-Sewell, of Narre Warren, told The Herald Sunthat people would be more inclined to use the green recyclable bags, as she now does. "I only do it to save some money, and for the environment of course, but everything's so tight with petrol prices," she said.

The only dilemma with the green recyclable bags is getting people to actively use them. After a long session in the supermarket aisles, carrying a full load of shopping in from the car can feel like a bicep workout. The last thing on your mind is taking the bags back out to your boot. But unless you do, the next time you pop in to the shops unexpectedly, your green bags will be sitting at home gathering dust. The 10-cent levy will work as the perfect motivator to get people using the bags effectively.

Victorian Environment Minister Gavin Jennings told The Age that Victorians are using one billion plastic shopping bags per year. If cutting down on bag usage is the one selfless thing an individual can do to help the environment, the levy should be enough to have them developing these good habits.

but that's really not what i'm trying to talk about.  when i watched the movie i figured out it really all came down to censorship, what's appropriate and what's not appropriate (although it mostly focused on the mpaa's inconsistency and undecidedness)

then that got me thinking about all this hype about censorship in schools.  a couple of years ago their was all this hype in the town where i live about how school libraries were banning books, they were banning books that had certain words in them (f---) or certain themes (gay people) and things like that.  actually some of the school banned webster's dictionary, instead favoring a seriously abridged "student dictionary."  i wonder which word's weren't included. 

the reason for all the talk was because my school district, chambersburg area school district,  was resisting the ban and wouldn't ban the books or the dictionary or whatever.  it even celbrated that fact with a holiday "READ BANNED BOOKS DAY"   and everytime you check out a book the librarian gave you a book mark with all the books that had been

i think i was in 7th or 8th grade when my mom told me about this and i remember thinking "why not?  why won't they ban the books?  i don't want books with the f word in them or books about gay people in them!"  now that i'm actually in high school, i realise that their;s much more than the f-word and gay people to worry about.  my school library has a whole wall of those japanese graphic novels full of sex and violence, it even has a club full of goths and wierdies.

my mom explained to me that the shcool wouldn't ban the books because that's censorship, and the school wants to give me the choice, so i can draw my own line so to speek.   ok.  fine.  but the library needs a line of it's own.   that's like giving a teenager pot, and saying "decide if you want to do it or not. 

i know censorship is bad when it comes to big brother, but trust me, if i ever wanted to look at porn graphic novels or read about gay people, i can find it on my own. i don't need a school library for that.

i mean come on, i have the internet.

Sometimes I really can't stand this "pat you on your back" society we live in!! How in the world do you tell a 9yr old he can't pitch because he is TOO GOOD!! WTF!! Yes, it is true!! Yes, it is amazing that he can throw the ball 40mph...but, that is no reason to ban him!! Parents are so worried that their kid is gonna strike out....get a damn clue it is part of the game!! I'd rather my kid strike out against a great pitcher than a average pitcher!! Our society is turning to damn soft....shame on us!!

Check it out: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3553475

Please give a round of applause to a government that has just woken up and smelt the coffee burning!

*chuckles*

This organization is a terrorist organization and created mayhem against public life

Are you kidding me? Is this Rehman Malik sympathizing with those who lost their lives at POF Wah and the emergency ward in D.I Khan? So there people are now the terrorists? The same Taliban who openly threatened to reign havoc over the country over Lal Masjid; an issue that had all their sympathies? So with the equations balanced, this meant the now-government supported Taliban back then!

And how come I never heard of any one from PPP denouncing Taliban as a threat to public life when suicide bombings went off earlier this year and last year and the year after? All we got from them back then was a bunch of fingers pointed at the Army and President Musharraf, even though the Army was the one whose people were being blown up the most. Where is all this sympathy coming from now?

Or maybe it is what it is suppose to be: a move to please USA. Anyone aiding a proscribed organization — through financial assistance, promoting them in literature or in other ways — can be jailed for up to 10 years under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws.

So I'm confused now. Since the government has rejected a cease-fire offer by Taliban in Bajur recently, where our Armed forces have killed hundreds of Taliban in the past few weeks, are we looking towards a government that plans to not only go hard on Taliban but also brace for a new wave of suicide bombings in the country and take responsibility for the lives we are going to lose? Because in all honesty, we know that will be the backlash.

Hmm... I wonder what happened to solving conflict with peace and dialogue!

Story : Abduction of Cows by aliens from outer space

UFO has abducted a cow. (Cotton County?? May be a location where they milk the cows :) )

Until now there have been no clues of the cows. (Ask, Torque for 'No scar(e)s' )

India TV asks, " Where has the cow gone?" (Yeah, advertise in this 'space' ship )

Do Aliens Drink Cows Milk, Another one not posted says, do aliens worship cows like us?

(Do u want to be there too? Forms available at bank of baroda :D)

Real photo of the light falling on the cows from the alien ship. (Use Chinese mobiles for better light )

Are Indian Cows also on their hit list? (Did u look at the crystal undergarments ad, Yeah, I love Crystal ke underwear!! :D What a waste of bandwidth)

There were many other pictures, I did not want to waste the bandwidth, unlike IndiaTv who prefers wasting important media footage time on some non sense.

Well, I don't blame the producers for news like this, Use of negative marketing at its best.

Ad's are made with the same mindset, either they have to be the best or the worst to be remembered.

This is no joke, this channel is under the news channel category. And if this is meant to be news, then i'd prefer being on the alien ship. IndiaTV, Is this is what real indian news.. Pheww, give me a break!

This channel is being broadcasted around the world, with the 'same name'. What are we trying to show as news from India?? Cows being abducted?? even a 5 year old would not believe news like that. Not just this news story, there were stories about how people in villages still followed primitive ways to solving a problem. Horror stories on how the popular Himesh Reshamiya song ' Ek baar aaja' invited ghosts. As a educated person in  India should know, these stories may be true but they apply only to a small percentage of the population. Whatever may be the case, do we want to broadcast news like this under the name of 'India'.

I would definitely not leave out the other hindi news channels, who give importance and footage to news that would be of no meaning if not telecasted. There are various other things happening in the country that are more important than ' Vidya balan' hot expose for a well known men's magazine. I salute Barkha Dutt for the coverage of the Kargil war, bought into light the pain that the jawans were taking so that we could sleep without fear. I salute all such people who make India Proud, Dr. APJ Kalam is one such person. I'm glad that he resigned from the president's post as i feel he has more to contribute to science and technology than be a part of the dirty political group.

We print the photos of an American who showed terrific performance in the Olympics, while the Indian who won the country a bronze medal gets the last page. Cricket takes the center stage, while the national game, Hockey, slowly starts to fade into the distance. Does the Media have a role to play in it?? Yes they do. I don't see one single news channel that lays importance on a person who could have earned Rs.100 had there not been a bandh called by a stupid political party for even stupid political reasons. The media is more interested in what brand is Shahrukh khan taking up. What is Sachin Tendulkar doing when he is Injured, even for that matter 'Where are Aishwariya and Abhishek going for HoneyMoon??', What the Hell.

India Tv has been broadcasting similar kind of stories for while now. I wonder if the Broadcasting ministry is even talking a look at it. Actually speaking, are so many news channels required? I remember the days when my father waited for the 9'o clock news to begin on the national channel. Then came some 24 hr news channels, where breaking news seemed like something really important. Now is time where channels like India TV make ' Amitabh bachan ko film shooting ke dauran zukaam hua' as an important news story, for that matter a 'Breaking news'. India Tv has made such a bad reputation in my mind that, i have put it under parental lock, so that i don't watch the channel even by mistake. I hope channels like these vanish soon, and DDnews stays forever.

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Kunal

Merawat motor sebenarnya tak sulit-sulit amat, koq! Hanya butuh sedikit ketelatenan dan disiplin. Awalnya mungkin memang agak males, tapi kalau sudah menjadi rutinitas motor pasti nggak terasa, dan motor akan selalu oke ketika dibawa ngacir. Jadi Bro Bikers harus simak kiat hemat merawat motor berikut.

1. PERIKSA TEKANAN ANGIN BAN

Jaga selalu tekanan angin ban. Tekanan yang kurang bisa berakibat permukaan ban habisnya tidak rata dan benjolan-benjolan pada ban. Selain itu, jika ditinggal lama dalam ruangan (lebih dari 1 hari) beri alas agar ban tidak langsung menyentuh bumi. Pasalnya, kalau tidak diberi alas, selain tekanan ban akan berkurang terus setiap harinya, permukaan ban juga lama-lama menjadi tidak rata dan benjol.

Tekanan angin ban untuk Honda Bebek (Supra, Nice, Karisma,Kirana,dll) 200kPa (2,00 kg/cm2, 28 psi) untuk depan dan 225 kPa (2,25kg/cm2, 33 psi). Sementara untuk motor lanang alias tipe sport untuk Neotech (GL Max, GL Pro) tekanan ban depan 175 kpa (24 psi) dan belakang 200 kpa (28 psi). Sedangkan untuk Megapro 25 psi depan dan 29 psi belakang dan untuk Tiger, tekanan ban depan200kpa (29psi), belakang 225 Kpa (33psi)

2. TAMBAH AIR AKI PAGI HARI

Pengen aki awet? Jangan sekali-kali tambah air aki dalam kondisi motor habis pakai, karena accu zuur nya akan memuai. Tambahkan pada pagi hari ketika motor dingin atau belum dihidupkan. Untuk Aki, jangan lupa ditengokin minimal 1000 km atau satu bulan sekali level airnya, jangan kurang apalagi sampai kering di sel-selnya. Kalau dah kering, siap-siap deh ngerogoh kocek beli aki baru karena umur tuh aki nggak bakalan lama lagi.

3. TIDAK PERLU KURAS AKI

Jangan suka nguras aki pake air panas, itu akan merontokkan sel-sel yang ada dalam aki, yang akan membuat short antar selnya. Pake air dingin gimana ? Nggak boleh juga! Pokoknya enggak ada itu teorinya nguras aki, yang penting perawatannya, titik.

4. JAGA KABEL, HINDARI TIKUS

Tikus memang nakal dan tak kenal aturan. Apa saja digigit termasuk kabel-kabel di motor kesayangan kita. Walhasil, besoknya tuh motor akan mogok jalan. Buat jagain kabel kita dari serangan tikus, coba taruh beberapa kamper di bawah jok dan cover aki. Insya Allah tuh tikus gak iseng lagi gigitin kabel-kabel motor kita.

5. PERIKSA BERKALA KONDISI OLI MESIN

Jangan malas secara berkala membuka baut indikator oli untuk melihat kondisi oli mesin. Tambahkan jika kurang, dan jangan sampai kosong karena akan berakibat fatal pada mesin. Lakukan penggantian oli maksimum setiap 2000 km. Jangan pernah ditunda!. Selain itu gunakan oli sesuai standar kekentalan pabrik SAE 20W-50. Hindari memakai oli mobil karena selain tidak ekonomis juga tidak sesuai dengan spek mesin. Oli mobil hanya untuk mobil dan bukan untuk motor!

]]> http://cosminsebastian.wordpress.com/?p=222 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:05:05 +0000 Cosmin-Sebastian Găleată http://cosminsebastian.wordpress.com/?p=222 Banul, ochiul dracului, o ipoteza crestina interesanta, pe cat de fantezista, pe atat de reala. Ma intreb insa ce ar crede un chinez(care are cu totul alt sistem de valori decat crestinul, musulmanul si in plus nu a fost cucerit niciodata) despre aceasta teorie a conspiratiei la nivel mondial?

Aveti mai jos doua linkuri la un documentar care prezinta aceasta ipoteza interesanta indetaliat.

Daca va tine sa va uitati, dureaza, dar se merita: e distractiv. "Just to keep you entertained!"

Empire of the City - partea I

Empire of the City - partea II

Multumim pe aceasta cale casei de productie "AMENSTOP Productions" pentru curajul de care a dat dovada si pentru ca a incercat macar sa ne prezinte starea de fapt. Caz-scoala de manipulare oferindu-ti 90% adevar, 10% informatii false ce nu pot fi probate. Si totusi " cel mai mare truc nascocit vreodata de diavol a fost sa convinga lumea ca nu exista." Enjoy!

Frustrations boiled over when Cuban martial artist Angel Matos lost his temper and kicked a referee in the face (yes, in the face) after being disqualified. Whatever happened to the discipline in martial arts? Eh. Well, as a result of his kneejerk reaction, Angel Matos and his coach have been banned from Olympic taekwondo FOR LIFE.

This isn't the first time taekwondo has come under fire for controversial judging and refereeing. It happened in Athens. I guess Angel Matos had enough of the nonsense. Take that!

Imagine how many people would get kicked in the head if everyone in the world had Olympic skills.

Hello everyone! This is Clonez, author of starviper.wordpress.com. The sports party has returned once again to Club Penguin. If you do not remember, in November 2007, there was a poll on which party penguins would like to see come back. The choices had been Western, Sports, or Pirate. The battle between Western and Sports went on for days, and it was very close to a tie, if you do not remember. Well, it was a great idea that everyone had chosen western, because this party would have never happened if Sports Theme had won. Also, it fits perfectly in August because of the Summer Olympics! What better way to get into the mood for sports. I haven’t heard that many complaints about this party from older penguins even though Club Penguin brought back two of the rarest items of all.

I don’t understand why Club Penguin had to choose red and blue. Especially since the party came back a second time. It should have been like the color party of November 2006 where green and purple were fighting. It would be pretty nice having another of color face paint. Then again, a lot of items in the past have come back in another color. Especially the nonmember items. Who couldn’t forget the latest “incident” of this: the return of the pirate shoes. Anyway, it wouldn’t hurt Club Penguin to be a little more creative. On the other hand, they did create a new item for nonmembers: the gold medal. This was in the group of items that had to be earned; that you had to work for, such as the scavenger hunts in the past. There were three events at this party. Gosh, I was surprised to see that the Night Club took a break from this party, for it had not been decorated at all. I do not remember a time where it hasn’t. Anyway, the three events are quite original, two of them are running events and one of them is a water event. I like how Club Penguin made each one with lighted knobs sticking out of the ground. The main reason is basically because they didn’t want penguins to cheat and go off track.

The marathon is a perfect example of that; there are a lot of twists and turns. I know they are hard to light up, but it is easy to get the hang of. The marathon is a nightmare if you have horrible internet connection, so it is basically the “most connected” who wins. It goes through almost every outdoor room, but other than the track, the decorations are awful. Sure, they just set up a few chairs and a couple of drink stations; I think it could have improved. By the time the penguin reaches the cove, the track is very sloppy. It narrows down, it curves a lot, and it is puzzling in a way. If I were them, I would have just disposed of the campfire for this party.

The second event is the 3 Lap Race. By far, this is the funniest one to watch. If there is a big group of penguins, many forty or fifty, it looks like one of those roller blade rinks from the 70’s. This event is pretty easy to finish; it does not require an advancement of internet connection like the last one, plus it is a lot more fun to race with buddies because you are perpendicular to each other at all times. One problem with this track is that it looks like a soggy old bath mat. I guess it is just Club Penguin’s “style” of creating a track, but I could be wrong.

The third and final event is kind of cheesy. I mean, its swimming, but it isn’t really swimming because penguins are just walking through water; it is like the pool isn’t even there. Plus it is just going is circles. I mean, swimming is fun in real life, but it doesn’t belong in a place like this. Don’t get me wrong though, I know Club Penguin was trying really hard to make it as realistic as possible for us, but this is just too upsetting. I really wouldn’t call it fun like the other races, but if you need to do it to get the medal, then go ahead and do it.

Once again, there was another new room added to the party; limited edition.This time the room is soccer and it is for members only. Club Penguin has gotten into a phase, and I am not saying that the phase is bad, but it is an improvement. Almost every party since the Medieval party in May has had a special room added on to it. Hopefully, this will continue to go on. I was surprised how many member rooms have been sprouting recently. One party back: there VIP room was a members only building. Nonmembers were left out on a limited edition item: the Penguin Band background, which became the first ever member background. The good thing about this party was that they eased off a bit, there wasn’t a free item this time. Hopefully, these party opportunities for members will disappear soon, or the nonmember population will fall back.

Overall Party Rating: */*****

The announcement that outdoor protests will now be allowed in Singapore has so far met with a muted response. No one I know has had anything positive to say about it, be it about the PAP government’s seemingly positive move towards political liberalization or the sudden access to a means of expression that for so long has been rendered alien to so many Singaporeans. Of course the fact that such protests will only be allowed in Speakers Corner (Hong Lim Park) has done much to neutralize any initial euphoria. What do we make of this move by the PAP government?

First of all, it’s a rational decision given that the ruling against outdoor protests is routinely and nonchalantly flouted anyway by the likes of the Chee siblings, Myanmar students and PRC workers at various spots in Singapore. A ban that is ignored must be re-thought.

Secondly, it is a typical civil servant response to a messy problem. It’s a policy of containment. From a policy maker's point of view it’s the common sensical thing to do. You have a problem that just won’t go away but it's one that you do not want to spread. What do you do? You contain it. Just like prostitution and brothels. You’ll never be able to stamp out prostitution so you zone it at red-light districts like Geylang.

Thirdly, by lifting the ban on outdoor protests, the PAP government will now have something to fend off its western critics with. This gesture of liberalization is rather symptomatic of the PAP’s habit of adopting icons from the liberal west and then emptying them of their meaning (We have Speakers’ Corner for free speech but you need to register with the police. We want bohemias in Singapore but we don’t want any deviance.)

All this spells a win-win situation for the PAP government. But it’s bad news for those of us who are serious about the political maturity of Singapore society. This is akin to a surreal cage of freedom where to taste liberty you have to lock yourself in.

Designating a zone for protest draws an artificial and arbitrary line between everyday life and political expression. It immediately turns the act of public protest into a novelty, a piece of legitimised political entertainment for consumption. The power of public protests comes from its ability to disrupt routine from traffic, to mental to spatial, thus allowing the plight and unhappiness of protesters to register in ordinary citizens who may otherwise be ignorant of their situation. Imagine walking to work from the MRT station and having to move around a group of protesters chanting away. You are suddenly forced to confront the lives and marginalized interests of fellow citizens and, for better or worse, are compelled to listen to them, if only for as long as it takes to wriggle your way through.

Helming in protesters at Speakers Corner takes away the gravity of public protests. There, protests will turn into a spectacle from which the seriousness and gravity of issues are siphoned away because they are removed from the lives of Singaporeans. They become comical events ordinary citizens can take in while sipping coffee or tea from across the road. I would even argue that it's better not to lift the ban at all because the police and international media would take seriously any protests as long as remained illegal. At least then the protesters are heard. In the Speakers Corner their newfound legal status may actually silence them.

Putting NParks in charge is no great concession from the government either. There is hardly any difference from having the police circle protesters. All NParks officers need to do is dial 995 and we’re back to square one.

But perhaps most detrimental to our political maturity is the false belief that Singapore really is liberalizing. This nurtures a false sense of achievement or progress. It lulls us into believing that we have arrived at political pluralism and liberalism while distracting us from the array of draconian regulations in place that curb this very pluralism (Newspapers and Printing Press Act; ISA; trade union laws; Electoral Boundaries Committee under the PMO; silencing of the Law Society and so on).

In other words, the lifting of the ban on public protests will serve as a great psychological breakthrough in the minds of ordinary Singaporeans. They will be distracted by the spectacle and believe that they are entering a new phase in local politics. They will, like the PAP government, parade this as a sign of the times, when in fact nothing has changed; at least not for the better.

If the PAP government were really serious it would lift the ban unconditionally and look at the experience of protest coordination in developed countries like the UK. Allow protests to take place anywhere but only after joint coordination between the protest organisers and the police. Both organisers and police have to agree on the estimated number of protesters and the designated area in advance. Organisers should have to put up a modest deposit, a sum that can vary according to the number of protesters expected and the area covered (between $2000-$5000 perhaps). Organisers have to nominate their own monitors (armed with video cameras) who will keep an eye out for trouble makers. After all any self-respecting civil society group wouldn't want their cause hijacked by others or have their day in the sun turn ugly. Marches can also be accommodated in this manner. The route can be fixed, barracades can be set up to limit public inconvenience and the police can monitor the marches to ensure the interaction between protesters and onlookers does not turn sour.

All this isn't very hard for the police and the government to do. And it would signal real change.